Grumpasaurus.com

NASA engineer quits over needless mission… but the domestic policy-driven Busheviks say the show must go on!

A 30-year NASA veteran and one of the agency’s top shuttle engineers has reportedly angrily resigned only five days before Saturday’s Discovery launch.

Charlie Camarda had been director of engineering at the Johnson Space Center and played a major role on NASA’s Mission Management Team that is preparing for this weekend’s launch.

Unidentified sources at NASA told ABC News Camarda has been feuding with Wayne Hale, the manager of NASA’s space shuttle program, and NASA Administrator Mike Griffin about treatment Camarda’s engineers received when they raised concerns about the upcoming Discovery launch. Some engineers believe more substantial changes need to be made.

In a Tuesday email to his colleagues at Johnson, ABC News said Camarda reaffirmed his disappointment with NASA officials.

“I cannot accept the methods I believe are being used by this Center to select future leaders,” he wrote. “I have always based my decisions on facts, data and good solid analysis. I cannot be a party to rumor, innuendo, gossip and-or manipulation to make or break someone’s career and-or good name.”

I know this has been discussed before, but this is infuriating. The shuttle crew, the best and the brightest, are sacrificial lambs on the alter of domestic policy choices made by the Busheviks. As every arm of our government is further politicized and turned into partisan arms of the GOP, people are dying, We, the People, are being harmed, and our country is lessened. And it’s entirely the fault of this administration.

The FCC, the FDA, the SEC, FEMA, and now NASA.

You thought Katrina was a failure of leadership? Just wait until we have 7 dead astronauts because some Bushie decided that we needed a glorious rocket launch, and damn the science or those querrulous technicians! These people are sickening.

That said, it takes integrity to quit your job over something like this. My hat is off to Mr. Carmada.

Have you called your Senator yet?

Here’s the long and short of it: if you want to return to the walled garden days of Compuserve and AOL, if you want your cable company or existing telecom to dictate to you what you can read, see, and use on the internet, then you should be against net neutrality.

If, however, you think that the freedom of the internet is a good thing, that competition and low barriers to entry are worthwhile goods, that the internet has benefitted us, then you should be in favor of Net Neutrality.

Or, even more telling, look who supports either side:

Against net neutrality (AKA the bad guys): cable companies, telecoms, big ISPs like AOL

For net neutrality (AKA the good guys): Google, Tim Berners-Lee (the father of the internet), ACLU, Microsoft, Working Assets, the SEIU, Craig Newmark (craigslist), … and so on.

Discussion in the Commerce Committee began a bunch of hours ago. I can’t find the results anywhere. This is a critical issue for the growth of America, the growth of our economy, and our democracy. I’m not being hyperbolic here, I’m dead serious.

If S.2917 is not added to the telecomm bill, then all is not lost; we’ll still have to fight on the Senate floor. If we can stop the forces of evil here, it will be huge, and an amazing blow to the big corporate welfare babies who have pumped millions of dollars into the anti-neutrality campaign. We can do this!

S.2917 protects net neutrality via:

The Internet Freedom Preservation Act would ensure that all content, applications and services are treated equally and fairly on the Internet by prohibiting broadband network operators from blocking, degrading, or prioritizing service on their networks.

Seriously, how could any non-cable/telecom/megaISP be against this provision? This is a no brainer!

We are pleased to inform you that your request to transfer xxx-xxx-xxxx from your current carrier to Vonage was accepted on June 23, 2006. The process of moving your number to Vonage is almost complete.

Your expected transfer date is June 29, 2006.

That’d be great… if the transfer date wasn’t 18 days after I initiated the move. What amazing speed we have here in the internet age. What with all these numbers being virtual and just entries in a freakin table and all. Uh-maze-eeeng.

That said, Vonage voice quality is way better than what I was using. Can’t complain there.

Which is why you must support net neutrality. Because without it, your broadband provider will drop packets from 3rd party vendors such as Vonage in order to force you to accept their monopolistic, overpriced, substandard quality offerings. Yeah, I’m talking to you, cable companies.

Crunch Time

It’s time to hit the phones, everyone. I am told that the Senate Commerce Committee will be doing bill mark-up today, and that the net neutrality vote will be pushed off until probably Tuesday.

And that we are one vote short at the moment for killing the Stevens bill in the Committee.

Yep, that’s right: one vote.

Call your senators. I even called Mortal Enemy Cantwell[fn1] to tell her to support Senate bill S.2917.

That’s what you say when you call, btw. Say “I am for S. 2917, WITHOUT AMENDMENT.” That is the Snowe/Dorgan net neutrality bill. Go internet!

[fn1] for her cloture vote on scAlito. Grr.